Rice Undergrads Among Finalists in Collegiate Inventors Competition

Rice University undergraduate students were among the finalists in the 2013 Collegiate Inventors Competition. Matthew Nojoomi, Michael Pan, Kamal Shah, and Erica Skerrett with Advisor Rebecca Richards-Kortum entered an inexpensive mechanical IV Drip with an automatic volume regulator to prevent overhydration.

The competition encourages invention, entrepreneurship, and creativity in students who are working on cutting-edge inventions at their colleges and universities. Outstanding inventions in science, engineering, mathematics, technology (STEM) and other creative fields are judged by a panel of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and USPTO officials.

For a more detailed description of their invention and information about other entries see the current finalists' link on the contest webpage. Read more about the contest on the Department of Commerce blog.

Software Partnership Meeting, Dec. 5, 2013

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host the next public Software Partnership Meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2013, from 1:00pm – 4:00pm at the Madison Auditorium North on the USPTO campus in Alexandria, Virginia. The meeting will focus on educating the public about prior art resources utilized by USPTO examiners in the software area. There will be presentations from external speakers on additional prior art resources and search techniques followed by an interactive discussion with the meeting attendees.

Submit requests to attend the meeting in person by electronic mail through the Internet to SoftwareRoundtableAlexandria@uspto.gov. Requests for attendance must include the attendee's name, affiliation, title, mailing address, and telephone number. An Internet e-mail address, if available, should also be provided.

For online access via WebEx use the following:

• Event number: 997 360 308
• Event password: 123456
• Event address for attendees: https://uspto-events.webex.com/uspto-events/onstage/g.php?d=997360308&t=a

More information is available on the Software Partnership page at  http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/software_partnership.